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USA Today via Reuters

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USA Today via Reuters

If you thought the motorsports world had had enough of the Oscar Piastri announcement meme template, well, you’d be wrong. Because seven-time NASCAR Cup champion, Jimmie Johnson is here to stay after he announced he’s there to go.

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The former Hendrick driver had recently announced his ‘retirement’ from full-time racing after his rookie season in INDYCAR.

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But soon after, Alex Bowman, the driver who succeeded Johnson in the #48 HMS car, announced that he’d be running for his World of Outlaws team for the 2023 season.

The fun bit was that Johnson had scheduled an announcement, and Bowman ignored that and announced the news anyway, to which, the veteran replied, “I understand that, without my agreement, @Alex_Bowman has put out a Tweet this afternoon that I am driving for him next year. This is wrong and I have not signed a contract with Alex for 2023.”

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“I will not be driving for ABR next year.”

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This invited Bowman to bring in another announcement reference from within NASCAR only, along with a bunch of reactions from the fans as well as Hendrick Motorsports.

WATCH STORY: The Worst NASCAR Crashes of All Time

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Jimmie Johnson on his ‘retirement’

In a statement in which he announced his retirement from full-time racing, Jimmie Johnson accepted that he still has a desire to go run in INDYCAR for a second season, but he simply doesn’t have enough gas in his tank for a full schedule anymore.

“I don’t have that passion that I need for myself to commit myself to a full season,” he described.

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Johnson admitted that retirement was “a difficult choice“, but in his heart, he knows it’s the right one.

Having said that, the former Hendrick Motorsports driver admitted that he remains open to opportunities that make sense to him (one of them clearly did), and that he still has a lot to cross off his list.

“I still have a bucket list of racing events I would like to take part in,” he added.

Also Read: Bubba Wallace Recalls Giving “F**khead” Kyle Larson a Pass to Win: “Should’ve Junked His A**”

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Shaharyar

2,079 Articles

Shaharyar is an experienced Senior NASCAR writer at EssentiallySports. A journalist by heart and profession, he has been at the ‘wheel’ for nearly a decade after starting with Formula 1. He has penned over 1,700 articles on the sport. Shaharyar is known for his quick reporting on controversies and feuds in NASCAR and is one of the masterminds behind "NASCAR In and Out", a Reader-Connect Program of EssentiallySports that boasts a weekly reach of fifty thousand subscribers in the US. Shaharyar believes in the conversational style of journalism, where fans are at the heart of the conversation. As a big fan of Kyle Busch, he maintains a commitment to journalistic neutrality in his coverage. A graduate of journalism from a professional university, Shaharyar blends his love for storytelling with the fast-paced nature of the sport to deliver compelling content that resonates with his readers. Despite his admiration for Kyle Busch, Shaharyar is now turning his attention to Hendrick Motorsports star Kyle Larson, whom he believes is a legend in the making. He is always looking to bring fresh perspectives and insights to his readers and engages in healthy debates and discussions about the latest developments in NASCAR. In his free time, Shaharyar enjoys watching soccer and taking long walks to unwind.

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Nizamul Haque Bhuyan

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